Milking-machine valve



S. H. KNAPP MILKING MACHINE VALVE PM). M, 111923.

Filed Sept 12, 1922 Z'wrenn;

m I uit ZLW W W /f Patented Feb. id, 1923,

sYnnEY HERBERT mmrr, orj GREYTOWN, WnLLrne'roN, NEW ZEALAND.

i MILKINGJVLACHINE VALVE.

Application filed September T all whom it may] coawemfl Be it knovvnuthat I, SYDNEY lflnnnnnr ,Kimrr, a citizen oi? the Dominionoff NewZealand, and a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland,residing at Humphrics *pose of preventing admission or air to thesystem, when a teat cup or cups become dis- 5 lodged from or come oilthe teat oi acow.

The object of theipresent invention is to provide an improved form 0i:valve, which .iscapable of being used, for )urposes other than, and inaddition to that above menn tionedr i i i i According to the invention,the valve co1nprlses a valve casing provided "Wlth d1- i ,reotlyopposite nipples adapted to be inserted in. orattached to milk tubes,The passages'through said nipples can be 01": the

same diameter i 1 The hollow plugin which a ball is housed is taperedand has, directly opposite ports one larger in diameter than the other,the

larger port having {a bar Wire or the like secured across same-toprevent the ball seating itself in and clos ngthe sa d port. *Thesmaller port has an internal seating iornied around it for said ball. ii i The plug alsoghas projecting therefrom a pin which works betweenstops of the easing,soas to limit the turning movement io'l 'the plug inthe casing to a lialt turn.

Projeeting from the plug is a spring 40 pressed ball adapted to engagein a circular s v inslde the easing.

The plug which is capable of being drawn.

out of the casingffrom the top,1is retained therein.Whilefinuse by theengagement of Lathe spring pressed ball in i said circular groove, saidengagementhowever not be ng suliioient to prevent the plug from being removed, when desired. V

A groove in the outer, surface of the plug connects or extends from oneport to the iother port tl'lElQllhflVllllG a further groove 12, 1923.serialjn 587,317. i 1

extends from said eonnectingrgroove bottomor smaller end of thevplug. 1i

The plug is, provided With a handle or thumbpie ce, whereby it can beoperated.

to atmosphere through ports, screws onto to the An inverted cap or ballcontainer, .openY the lowerrend of theicasingrthe,ball held in said capor container being adaptedjtof seatitselfinand close thelovver end ofthe casing on the airbeing exhausted tromthe interior of the plug, andor the casing. v

A cross piece fitted in the lower end of the plug has projecting;downwards therefrom a spring pressed pin against Whiehthe ballin theinverted cap or container is held so as to compress the spring actuatingsaid pin, when said ball is seated in the lower end foithe casing. i H

The inve1tecl-cap or container open to atinosphere and the ball therein,are provided for the purpose of ensuringthat air will (get behind theball in the: plug, on the breaking down of the vacuum in thelatter by acup or cupsjcommgfofi',ateator teats as v vhen such happensthe ball inthe loap or container, assisted by, the springoperated 13111 drops andvopens the lower end of the casingto atmosphere thereby ensuringthat theball in the plug Will be forced into its thereby preventthe entrance ofairftothe systern.,f

The grooves inlthe plugare provided to ensure the ball in the cap orcontainer, corn- ,ingnndeI- the effects of vacuul'n when required so toseatfitself in the lower end of th'eeasing and prevei'itthe entrance oi:air to the latter-and theplug.

The drawings herewith illi'istrate the invention:

Figure valve. i

Figure 2 is ELSGCtlODLlPlflIl on line l-i.-.A, Figure 1, and I I t i tFigure 3 is an enlargedsectional elevation ofthe cross pieee.

seating around the port in the plug and 1 is a sectional elevation ofthe Thevalve casing 1 provided with directly Opposing nipples 2 and 3adapted to jbe i in The plug has directly opposing ports 6 and 7 ofdifferent diai'neters, the larger port 6 having a cross wire 8 or thelike to provent the ball seating itself in, and closing the said port.The port 7 has a seat 9 for the ball I The plug has a pin 10 which worksbetween steps 11 on the asing, so as to limit the turning movement ofthe plug in the casing to a half turn.

Projecting from the plug is a spring pressed ball 12 adapted to engagein a circular groove inside the casing. The plug 4:. which is capable ofbeing drawn out of the casing from the top, is retained therein,

avhile in use by the engagement of the ball 12in the circular groove,the engagement however not being sui'licient to prevent the plug frombeing readily removed when desired. v

' A semi-circumferential groove 13 in the outer surface of the plug 1connects or extends from the port 6 to the port 7 and another groove14'extends from the groove 13 tothebottom of the plug t.

A cap 15 having. ports 16 and screwed 'uponth'e lower end of the casing1, holds a ball 17 adapted to close upon a seating l7 and, close thelower end of the casing, when the air is exhausted from the interior ofthe plug land or casing 1.

A cross piece 18 fitted into the lower end of the plug 4 has projectingdownwards therefrom a pin 19 having a head 20 against which a spring 21presses. The ball 17 p when on its seating 17 pushes in the pin 19 andcompresses the spring 21. During milking operations the ball 17 is heldon its seat 17 by the vacuum and when the vacuum isbroken by a teat cupor cups coming oil a teat or teats, the ball 17 assisted the springoperated pin 19, opens the lower end of the casing to the atmosphere.

thereby ensuring that the ball 5 will be forced into its seating 9 andth'erebyprevent the entrance of air to the system.

The grooves 13 and 14 are provided to ensure that the ball 17 shall comeunder the effects of vacuum when required so as to close on its'seat 17and prevent entrance oi? air to the casing and plug.

The nipple 2 opposite the larger port 6 is adapted to' be put intocommunication with the milk passage or passage of a teat cup claw eitherby being rigidly connected to the claw, or by flexible tubing or tubingand pipes, while'the nipple 3 is adapted to be connected by flexibletubing or pipes with a vacuum creating source.

. To permit milking operations to proceed, the plug'is turned to bringthe ports into re ist r was, the nipples, and so that the larger port 6registers with the nipple 2. With the teat cups inposition on the teatsand milking operations proceeding normally, the ball remains below theports (3 and 7 and the ball 17 closes on its seating 17, but should. theteat cups tall oil the teats, the angle which the valve assumes and thesudden drop thereof causes the ball 5 to jump in the plug 1 and the ball17 leaves its seating 17 whereupon the inrush of air through the ports16 forces and holds the ball 5 against the seating 9, thereby preventingair su'ilicient to interfere with milking operations from entering theapparatus.

When the teat cups are replaced on the teats, the slight leakage allowedby the groove 13 enables the air in the passages on the teat cup side ofthe valve to be exhausted and on the pressure on each side of the ball 5becoming equal the latter drops in the plug 4t and allows the milk topass through the valve from the nipple 2 to the nipple 3.

\Vhen a set of teat cups is not being used during milking the entranceoi air ('11!) be completely shut off by giving the plug 4: a quarterturn.

It it is desired to flush the machine by drawing water through the same.the plug 41- is turned so that the port (3 with its wire 8 will registerwith the nipple 3. the result being that when the teat cups areinuucrscd in water, the ball 53 does not interfere or prevent theentrance of the water to the system.

hat I do claim and desire to obtain by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates of America is 1. A. valve for the purpose described comprising acasing with opposing nipples, a plug in the casing having a port adaptedto register with the nipples, and a ball in the plug adapted to closeone of the said nipples.

2. 31 valve for the purpose described comprising a casing with opposingnipples of different diameters, a plug in the casing having a cross portadapted to register with the nipples, and a ball in the plug adapted toclose the smaller of the said nipples.

3. A valve as claimed in claim 2, wherein the ball is prevented i a wirefrom closing the larger nipple.

41:. A valve as claimed in claim 1. the plug of the casing being madehollow with directly oi iposing ports oi diil'ercut diameters andadapted to register with the nipples, a wire across the larger port andthe smaller port having a. niched seating.

A valve as claimed in claim 1, the nipples being of equal diameter, theplug being hollow and having opposing ports of different diametersadapted to register with the nipples, a wire across the larger port,and. a groove around the plug adapted to connect the said ports.

6. A. valve as claimed in claim 5, and having a groove connecting thegroove around the plug to the bottom of the plug.

7. A valve as claimed in claim 5, and a rap having ports secured to thebottom oi llb lllO

Cir

the casing, and when in the cap adapted to seat upon the bottom of thecasing.

8. A valve as claimed in claim 5, having a cross piece in the casing, 2Lspring pressed pin in the cross piece adapted to be operated by the ballin the cup when the said ball is closed uponits seating. I i

9. A valve as ehumed in claim iii-airing e cross P1808111 the casmg,asprmgpressed pin in the cross piece adapted to be operated by the ballin the cup when the said ball is closed upon its seating.

In testimony whereof I have signedmy name-to this specification in thepresence of two witnesses.

